Ridgefield Grad Overcomes Dyslexia, Excels At University

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by a different wiring of the brain, making it difficult to read, write, and spell. There is no cure.

One Ridgefield student, however, not only overcame the disability, but is crushing it.

Ellie Scholl graduated from Ridgefield High School this past spring, and is now studying nursing at Elon University. She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships, including a Jeanne Smith Memorial Scholarship, David E. Nichols Scholarship, Joseph James Morelli Scholarship, Elon University Presidential Scholarship and a Nursing Scholars Fellowship.

Ellie's mom is a former special education teacher in a New York public school system. She recognized early that fit would not be right for her daughter, and headed north.

"One of the reasons we moved to Ridgefield from where I was before, was because of how understanding they are about kids with learning disabilities," Ellie said. "They made sure that I had multiple classes, that I had extra time to work with. I had a case manager, which I began to be really close with, which helped a lot, and then they also always included me in their conversations."

Still and all, grades matter, especially in the Ridgefield school system. Ellie said she needed to realistically set her sights on "B" grades, but even that required double the effort someone with normal learning skills would need.

Middle school and the first couple years of high school were rough.

"I didn't really understand what exactly was happening to me, or why," Ellie said. "But as I grew as a learner, and as I grew as a person, I definitely started to understand that it doesn't matter what grade I get, as long as I'm putting my best effort into it."

Coming to grips with her disability provided much of her motivation in high school, and gave her the clarity to understand what colleges would want to see. Working toward becoming the lead cheerleader or the captain of the debate team was not going to cut it.

"I knew that my grades weren't going to be enough to get me into colleges that I knew that I would thrive in, so I needed to look outside the box to find stuff that would I could put on my resume that would make people notice I have more to offer," Ellie said.

So she became an emergency medical technician.

After unsuccessfully pitching Ridgefield High School to start an EMT certification program, she found herself enrolled in an EMT training course with the Town of Wilton.

"It was probably one of the best experiences I've had. It's definitely one of my most accomplishing periods of my life," Ellie said. She believes the certification gave her the edge she needed to attract the attention of college admissions officers.

Ellie still has many obstacles, time management principal among them. In high school, she was placed in classes with other students who shared her challenges, and had teachers who monitored her progress and deadlines. In the Nursing Program at Elon University, there are no such guardrails.

But as with the many obstacles encountered by her middle school self, she reckons these are not road blocks, only hurdles.

"If I really want to accomplish something, then I will be able to do it."

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month